Travel Insurance, pfft…who needs it, you do!

by Jaryd Krause 13/02/2013 | 8:52 6 Posted in safe travel, travel insurance, travel tips, travelling

28,000 Euro for falling down the stairs, that’s a bit much. As of 11/02/13 that’s how much my mate’s hospital bill equated to. He’s been holidaying here in Dahab for the past month now and as a result of

tumbling down a flight of stairs, he ended up hospitalized in a critical condition. The morning of the incident
hewas rushed to a private hospital, and the doctors realised he needed a MRI and CAT scan along with neurosurgery.

He was relocated via ambulance to a hospital in Sharm El Sheikh for his MRI and CAT scan, and then taken directly back to the Dahab hospital, even though they had a neurosurgeon in Sharm! Why did they bring him back to Dahab where there is no neurosurgeon? Money of course, the filthy bastards. Richie, whilst in a coma (due to brain swelling) had to wait until they flew out a neurosurgeon from Cairo to operate, not for the greater being of the customer, no to excessively charge him.

Richie is still in a critical condition,can move his eyes and is slowly recovering, but meanwhile the hospital is still excessively charging him per night. As you’ve guessed it, he’s not insured, but none the less this is a criminal act and lawyers are on the case to try and justify the bill and most likely sue. It’s just so simple howquickly a holiday can turn into a nightmare and this is a perfect example of why you should NEVER leave home without travel insurance. These incidents are not worth your worry while you’re away. So put your life and safety first and be covered, you can’t put a price on life.

What bad situations have you come across with travel accidents and insurance claims? Have you come across any unreliable or trusted travel insurance company we should know about? Or dodgy doctors for that matter? Please let us know.

Tips; The most important thing is to read the policy to see what your covered for and whether it is suitable for you, a fellow traveler Matt has put together a great blog post of how to chose the right coverage. Most credit card companies provide travel insurance under certain conditions, usually if you book return flights back to your country of residence within a certain time frame. This is what I use and have found it very useful. Other options are online quotes which compare companies and give you the best prices for each, in this link Lonely Planet offer this service along with many others.

Lets use this space to help each other out here. What travel insurance company do you use and why?

For more travel tips and advice head to Travel Tips & Advice

Jaryd Krause

I love adventure & spontaneity, I hate 9-5 & routines. I surf, snowboard & dive my way around the globe with camera in hand to inspire & motivate people to travel, because you only live once, but if you do it right, once is enough! To know more Click here

Comments

Freddy 20/02/2013 | 12:32

Woa, that's crazy! It's all about travel insurance, even if it costs you an extra £50 on top of your holiday, it's totally worth it.I work for an insurer and our favourite saying is "If you can't afford travel insurance then you can't afford to travel"

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Jaryd Krause 20/02/2013 | 12:47

Yea pretty rough for poor old Rich. Yea Jerry your exactly right its all about the travel insurance.I love that saying your firm uses, "If you can't afford travel insurance then you can't afford to travel" that's great!What Insurer do you work for Jerry? Maybe some of our readers could look into it . . . Cheers

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Freddy 20/02/2013 | 1:18

You're going to have to keep us updated with how he gets on!I work for a new UK travel insurer called Insure & Away. We have a huge focus on customisation and customer care. If you fancy checking it out, head over to http://www.insureandaway.co.uk

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Jaryd Krause 21/02/2013 | 3:45

I actually saw him the other day and his improvement is a lot better, he can write his name and open his mouth, so definitely looking up.Oh ok great, thanks for that Jerry

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NZ Muse 18/02/2014 | 3:54

Jeez, are you kiddding?! That’s crazy!

I think travel insurance cost about $1000NZ for both of us for our six month RTW trip. I was very glad when my partner wound up in a Thai hospital that we had it. But as it turned out, that bill only came to about $250NZ anyway, about the amount of our excess, so didn’t even wind up making a claim as there was no point. But the peace of mind is priceless.

If you can afford to travel, you can afford insurance.

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